Card games have entertained people through the ages. Among their greatest attributes are their highly versatile nature and compact size. In addition, card games are relatively inexpensive to purchase, typically, because play does not usually require additional equipment, such as a game board, token markers, and dice that can contribute to the overall production cost of the game.
A seemingly endless variety of card games have been created over the years; however, most are played with a standard deck of 52 cards that is divided into four different suits, each of which includes cards that rank from Ace (1) to King (13). Cards ranking from Jack (11) to King are considered “face cards” because they are commonly illustrated with people's faces; these cards are sometimes impressed with special value in a game that transcends their high rank value. A standard deck of cards also includes two or more so-called “joker” cards that are awarded special purpose specific to a game—one such purpose being “wild cards” to which any rank value may be applied.
One of the most prolific forms of card games is “trick-taking” games, which have a distinct and common play structure. They are characterized by the concept of a “trick” that is usually a single round of play in which each player contributes one card from her/his hand. Typically, players are only entitled to play one card in their turn and no player is allowed to abstain from playing a card. Once all players have contributed a card to the trick, these cards are removed from play with the points accumulated in the trick being attributed to the player who has played the winning (usually highest value) card. After each trick, one player will be obligated to play the first card of the next trick and, as such, the game continues until all cards have been played and all tricks collected. Although trick-taking games are comparatively simple in structure—hence, relatively straightforward to learn—their immense popularity likely stems from their innate mathematical and strategic components that add considerable complexity to the game; consequently, mastering a trick-taking game can be quite challenging.